No1: Brick

Title: Brick
Director: Rian Johnson

"A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend."

Our first DVD in our challenge. A sense of trepidation as it was selected from the shelf and unwrapped. Here are our initial thoughts at first glance:

Hers

I have to admit that I was not elated when this one was unwrapped.  This was definitely Hubbo's choice in CEX and normally when a film like this goes on I can't go half an hour without looking at Facebook or Instagram or the BBC News or the NFL scores and tonight it was particularly difficult given that it is the start of the playoffs!  But the blurb on the back looked intriguing and I was determined to concentrate to be able to review it properly.

His

This was a purchase of my choice on the single fact that it starred Joseph  Gordon-Levitt. I have no other idea about what this film is about but the idea behind it sounds interesting and as an Indie film I am looking forward to a different approach to filming.

The lights were turned down, the DVD in the player and our adventure into DVD roulette had begun and this is what we thought.

Hers

Being completely honest Indie films aren't really my 'thing' but I can appreciate when one is well acted and well done.  What struck me most about this film was that it was based in a high school but it focused on a drugs ring that was incredibly intense and intricate.  And that instantly, for me, made it feel like it was Bugsy Malone for teenagers.  Now cue me watching the film while singing 'Fat Sam's Speakeasy' in my head over and over again and imagining a splurge gun about to appear any moment!

The story was convoluted and the language difficult to follow.  They used a lot of slang and they didn't ease you into it either so they either need to (a) subtitle it, (b) provide a phrase book with the DVD or (c) let you make up your own story bad lip reading style!  That being said the characterisation was good enough that you caught the gist of the story well enough.

I found the whole thing in general a bit flat though there were some points where the was some genuine tension and that drew me in.  However I would say those moments were probably the only highlights for me, although I did find the ending quite good and I only got there about 2 mins before the film did!

The soundtrack was very Indie indeed and sounded like they had let some toddlers loose at a Xylophone and some glass bottles but it did its job.

Overall not one I would ever pick up again and it is safe to say I am now happily ensconsed on the sofa watching the NFL Playoffs and much more back in my comfort zone!

His

It's not that easy to write a review of a film as I thought. From the start it was clear that this was a well filmed Indie production with a rough image to the film. The story began quickly and would have been good I am sure if it was not for the difficulty of following the dialogue. Set in an American High school the dialogue relies a lot on slang that I do not understand and a lot of mumbling by all characters made the complicated plot harder to follow.

When it was possible to understand what was being said the plot and story was OK. There were a couple of moments of suspense that held my interest for longer but then it was lost again due to the difficulty of following the dialogue.

I enjoyed the sound track and the cinematography used to enhance the story.

All in all it was an OK film, the actors played characters well and the flow of the story was good but it was hard to get overly invested in a complex story that was not easy to follow at the best of times.